Troupe 1224 Done with Their First Show

       Estancia High School drama Troupe 1224 wrote and performed To Whom It May Concern on January 17,18, and 19 at the Barbara Van Holt Theater to sellout crowds. The production was a four act production dealing with the idea that as teenagers no one is really  alone, there is someone else dealing with something similar or the exact same thing. Troupe1224 began brainstorming ideas since the summer and started officially writing the scenes in early September 2018.
          The first scene, Under Pressure, deals with high school students not having parents that are educated about the education system in the United States. Also, it reinforces the idea how even ones’ parents have difficulty in supporting their own child with their dreams. Senior, Angel Morales said, “When I was writing it, the meaning intended for the audience to grasp was to see that the immigrants have it harder and parents don’t know much about college. For example, my mom doesn’t know about college. Well, she knows the big names such as UCLA, and this scene shows how we have to work harder than other people since our parents aren’t educated on the schooling system here in the United States.”
         In the second scene, Easy Street shows how economic problems can effect us all but can also be misunderstood. Those points of view showed someone struggling financially and the other showed that they can be economically stable but lack family values. Senior, Andrew Padilla stated that, “The idea behind the scene is that everyone one way or another is affected by money. Personally, it does affect me both positively and negatively to the point where I have a family that is family oriented but we also sometimes hit points where we just aren’t economically stable. The focus of the scene was to bring light that your problems do not go unnoticed and there are others who are going through the same thing as you are. I believe people with a decent amount of money still have problems - just I can’t say that they are severe or not. Problems are different for everybody and are handled differently.”
          Dream, the third scene presented anxiety, depression, and the difficulty teens have talking to their parents. Within this scene it showed how people can bottle up their emotions and problems instead of searching for help because they do not want to cause any embarrassment or disappointment to their parents. Junior, Makai Walker stated that, “Most of the audience were young teenagers and in the act, most teens were probably focusing on the yelling that was a result from a lost father. But, the idea of it was to show how it is difficult for teenagers to communicate with their parents. Also, to show that we have difficulty even speaking about our own problems such as anxiety or depression, but we have others that have dealt with those problems that you can trust.”
          The last scene, The Connection dealt with the reality of all of these situations. There are points in life that you are doing okay, but then it can turn to a downfall and some adjustments need to be made. Junior, Leslie Ventura stated that, “The fourth scene shows how that families are never perfect. We see the family’s problems unfold on stage tearing them apart bit by bit. But, then at the end, the carolers are a sign of hope to the family, meaning that everything will be okay if they have each other.” Senior Taylor Steadman said, “That was the scene that we show what happens behind closed doors and it is okay to talk about them. And, we don’t always have a happily ever after, but at the end we are family and have each other.”
         Troupe 1224 will be back at it with the Addams’ Family Musical currently scheduled to be performed in April 4-7, 2019 at the Barbara Van Holt Theater.

Reporter: Jennifer Neri